My fabulous husband and I are heading to South America to explore the possibilities of living in another country. This is our maiden voyage. The first steps into our future and the next phase of our lives. We do not plan to ever “retire” in the conventional sense. The rocking chair on the porch watching the sunset is so embedded in our cultural mind-set that it is hard to replace it with a new paradigm. I keep forgetting that I am at the top of the boom and for those of us up here we are still blazing the trail of transforming and redefining “retirement.” If advertising and corporations would only finally realize what a fountain of riches awaits them if they would reset their “mind set” about the boomer brand!

Carol Orsborn, author, activist and speaker on the boomer generation and aging says it best “at some point in our aging process we have to decide if we’re going to be safe or live life as fully as possible.” So, my husband and I have decided to go with the “glass half full” and search for our own paradigm and discover what’s next in the “grand scheme of life! ” http://fiercewithage.com/
Over the last couple of years we have subscribed to a number of websites devoted to living as an ex-pat in a foreign country. http://www.internationalliving-magazine.com and Kathleen Peddicord’s newsletter/website Live and Invest Overseas http://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com. I would highly recommend both of these sites. Their newsletters and updates cover the world with first hand reports and articles in real time, about real-life experiences about living abroad. We also did a lot of personal research in narrowing down the selection.

South America held the most allure for us, with Ecuador and Uruguay topping the short list. Panama, in Central America, also held interest for us, but the one we selected to focus on for this trip is Uruguay. And the more we read about it and explored its history, culture , cities and towns, the more we think this just might be it. In reading about all three we found Panama to be a safe, very familiar spot that, in some areas, could be mistaken for another state within the US because of the gated communities and ex-pat population. Ecuador looks like the most affordable, great climate, beautifully preserved colonial architecture, but, perhaps, a little too provincial. The currency in both countries, Panama and Ecuador is the US dollar, in Uruguay it is the peso and much more stable than the Argentinian peso. So, Uruguay it is. For three weeks we are going to drive along the river deltas in the west, up through the wine country, drop into Montevideo [the capitol] and then head along the Atlantic coast through the Riviera of South America and onto the wind swept dunes of eastern Uruguay. All the while asking ourselves – could we live here?

I am going to post on the Platinum Boomer Face Book page https://www.facebook.com/platinumboomer photos, updates and fun stuff every few days about our trip. Please click on the FB icon to the right of this column; it will take you directly to Platinum Boomer FB page. You can also follow us on Instagram under platinum boomer.From these two sites you can follow our adventure. I hope you will join us for this fabulous 3-week trip in search of “what’s next!”

I like to think we age from the inside out – like an exquisite, finely woven fabric. When you view the reverse side the pattern is similar – but there is now a subtle beauty to the design and color, it is softer – more lived in. Kat Graham. Writer

This is a reprint of a Yahoo news article that I want to share with all of you, in case you missed it.

I have always been inspired by ageless beauty. Perhaps it goes back to my mother being 41 years older than me and my sister, Jeannette, at 20 years older. As a child I would wish my sister was my mother and my mother my grandmother, but as I aged I found the beauty in the maturity and grace of my mother.

Like Joyce Carpati, my mother, Annabelle, wore her long hair in a ‘coronet.’ A regal hairstyle that suited her 5’8″ – larger frame and classic style. As a child I would love to watch her dress for an evening out. When I was 8 and we were sailing to Honolulu on the Madson Ship SS Lurline, we would have an early supper together and later in the evening she would dress for cocktails and dancing. She would touch up her makeup, her simple outfit would be replaced by a cocktail dress and she would put small hair pins with rhinestones into the coronet. She would twirl when finished and we would both giggle, fall on the small bed in the small cabin on the big ship sailing into our future. When I think of it now, she was only 49, a widow, and thousands of miles from our home in Boston. Little did I know we were on a journey for my mother to find a new life after a year of being lost in grief.

I hope this article sparks a fabulous memory for you about an ageless beauty that has touched your life.

Joyce Carpati is one of the many wondrous gems on Advanced Style, Ari Seth Cohen’s blog and documentary celebrating the fabulous over-50 set. Joyce, who splits her time between Paris and New York and still works as a beauty consultant, is glamorous, witty, and, not surprisingly, given her 82 years, full of sage advice.

“I have a lot of wisdom to impart,” exclaims the former marketing director for Cosmopolitan. From looking beautiful as the years move on—“don’t do too much!”—to being happy—“Life is a privilege; embrace it!”—you’re going to want to listen.

Eighty-two and proud: I’m 82 and I don’t believe in lying about my age. I’ve worked hard to be 82 and I’m proud of it! It is a wonderful time of your life if you feel well. You can be who you are. I find I have no inhibitions; I am going to tell you what I think. I have been through a lot. I have some wisdom to impart and if someone wants to know something, here I am.

On aging beautifully: Less is more! You shouldn’t try too hard. It’s a natural process to get older. “C’est normal!” as the French say. What we have to do is look as lovely as we can at every age. You shouldn’t try to look younger, just look as lovely as you can whatever age you are.

Young at heart: I always tell people that to be relevant, you have to know what is happening in the world. Understand how people feel, style, and job situations. It is about being involved and being interested in everything. I love music, theater. I enjoy the opera and I just got back from Paris, where I have an apartment and family. I am very interested in politics and what’s happening in this country. I am almost obsessed with it.

The 100-year-old product: I have gray hair and I wear it in a lovely braided style that people admire. I get stopped on the street all the time. I do my hair myself. I sometimes add a little shade of blue-gray or a little darker silver-gray with a spray rub called Fanci-Full. It’s been on the market for 100 years, and what is so nice is that you can wash it out. I also use a German shampoo that enhances gray that I found living abroad called Schwarzkopf, and it is excellent.

For glowing skin: I use Ivory soap and warm water, I like that clean feeling. I have a night cream I’ve used for 25 years, Dr. Orentreich’s night cream, with Retin-A. I’ve also always used sunscreen. Even when I was younger, I stayed away from the sun.

The merits of drugstore makeup: I love makeup from Boots, an English company. They are the finest cosmetics you can imagine. They have wonderful eye makeup, the lipsticks are sensational, and they make a lovely group of moisturizers and masks. I love Chanel, but Boots you can just buy at Duane Reade and Walgreens!

Keep on moving: I go to the finest Y in New York, the 47th Street Vanderbilt Y. I do water-walking in the pool, marvelous exercises that a therapist gave me. There is also a gym upstairs, and I often bike and watch the news of the day.

Beauty foods: I start the day with a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal. I’m noticing everyone is eating oatmeal, young and old, very good for your arteries. I also eat a lot of fish and vegetables.

The gift of life: Life is a gift. Living long and aging is a privilege and we have to embrace it with every bit of strength in our body because it is a wonderful time.

We all need a special place. Not so much to find balance at this time in our lives, but a sanctuary in which to explore the terrain of our creative landscape ~ Annabelle Graham ~ Free Spirit & Explorer

Bottles by Brenda Holzke

What comes after the balancing act that we, as women, have been performing for years? Once the ‘balance beam’ of a hectic life, filled with a pyramid of responsibility, has been traversed – where do we find ourselves?

I like to think that the artist re-emerges within us. I read that as children we are all creative, but as we age, some of us lose touch with our creativity. Now, as the pace of our lives shifts, we have the opportunity to re-engage with our inner muse and allow her the space in which to expand. Creating a space for our muse is a reflection of the inner vision of our selves. If we are so lucky to have an entire space, or a tiny spot in which to make our muse feel at home we are opening up to a vast horizon of new possibilities.

I am surrounded by artistic souls and design mavericks. Some create in the back room of an abandoned house; others have transformed a home garage into a Paris Atelier, while others move the furniture in the living room to create the open area for their newest canvas. The space can be the spare bedroom, now converted into a writer’s studio to breathe life into the day dreams or the walk-in closet housing not only the clothes but also the inspiration of creativity. It can even be a trailer parked on barren land.

The following designers have found their spots, and their creativity shines through like a beacon to the rest of us to find our passion. I am blessed to call all these women friends.

~ Jaquelynne Mauvais ~

Slate Panther by Jaquelynne Mauvais

Call to battle

Liliuokalani

Jaquelynne Mauvais – Fine Artist – What would you do if you found a purple orangutan in your living room? Of course you would paint a bit of green foliage into the background for him to eat. Jaquelynne takes a white canvas and weaves the exotic into the familiar with her unique vision and blend of water colors. Her gift is the ability to draw you into the painting, be it rare animals, ethereal flowers or the vista of a foreign landscape. It is when you gaze into the eyes of her tribal chieftains and queens dressed in the textiles of their lands, that you are in awe of her uncanny ability to reveal the essence of her subjects. She is a master of the water color technique and a connoisseur of the soul.

I become so immersed in my subject that I am transported to another realm while I am painting. I am always amazed at the results – always ~ Jaquelynne Mauvais Jaquelynne Mauvais site

~ Carol Capek ~

Equus Couture custom riding apparel by Carol Capek

Side-saddle jacket + skirt

Carol Capek – Designer, Haute Couture/Bespoke Riding apparel – If you love the scenes in Downton Abbey when the fox is being pursued by ladies riding side saddle in flowing skirts, fitted jackets, a lace cravat and top hats! You would be a fan of Equus Couture, a successful component of the International Horse Show circuit. This design maverick has pursued her dreams with style and talent that Ralph Lauren would be envious of on all levels. Her street wear is equally captivating with bustle back jackets and dresses with decorative ties at the waist, that when pulled will raise the hem. If her muse has a name, it is Diane Keaton at the 2014 Golden Globe awards. For those lucky enough to have a Carol Capek original, it is most likely found hanging in the living room as an art piece.

Inspiration usually comes without warning and is a demanding task master until heard ~ Carol Capek

~ Brenda Holzke ~

Bangles and Bowls by Brenda Holzke

the studio

Brenda Holzke. Ceramicist. Jewelry Designer. Mixed Media Artist – Where does one create “urban decay” – where else but in an unused, somewhat abandoned guest house. The space is the perfect setting for Brenda’s one of a kind ceramics, jewelry designs and mixed-media canvases. Small urban treasures, flea market finds, old coins and military metals from the back alleys of Hong Kong, all find their way into her art with the unmistakable mark of one versed in the philosophy of yin and yang. The irregular shapes of hand thrown and glazed pots bring forth a primitive quality which belies the fact that it is new. It is here that the art and the artist merge with a seamless blend of the struggle that exists between creative expression and conformity.

False Hopemixed media canvas

A continuous thread throughout my work is the marriage between color, pattern and texture.

Cynthia Granado – Architectural Space + Interior Design – How do you coax grapes into wine in a mostly arid region of Mexico? You hire a designer with the vision and talent to create an architecturally perfect environment that encompasses all aspects of the wine making cycle. Planting, harvesting, bottling and tasting, all live up to their surroundings in this award winning winery. On another project turning a space from a small coffee shop into the sophisticated Los Olivos Café & Wine Merchant, a favorite stop along the “Side Ways” tour of the Santa Ynez Valley, had its challenges. Number one challenge, how do you showcase a vast inventory of 5000 bottles of wine? You design a 50’ long custom library-like cabinet, with a unique twist on stacking the bottles. Team it with the poured concrete bar and custom wrought iron lighting, and voile! Now you have the perfect setting for a great movie about food and wine and a perfectly designed Café in Los Olivos. On a more personal project for her home in San Miquel de Allende, Mexico, Cynthia combined the best of traditional Mexican craftsmanship, with modern building components to create a one of a kind sanctuary for her family.

Los Olivos Café & Wine Merchant

Casa Granado – SMA Mexico

Experience is my number one creativity booster and exploration [cultural immersion is huge!] But also things that make me feel good, happy, challenged.

There is a confidence and bravery that comes in and lights that inner fire and the creativity begins ~ Cynthia Granado

When entering this room you are immediately intrigued by what is behind all the custom cabinetry. It is not until your eye is drawn to the window with the built in desk and surround of cubbies loaded with skeins of colored yarn; do you realize that you are in a creative haven.

It is from this desk that Knit Café and the book by the same title were conceived. It is from this desk that the trend of knitting on a movie set or in front of the TV set was neutered. It was here, in this walk in closet, that original knit designs found the way out of cubbies and into the fashion scene, and a trend was born.

I have always been drawn to anything that allows me to stay inside my head and dream. It began as a way to calm my anxiety in a bumpy childhood and it evolved into a pleasure palace of colors, textures, fibers and design ~ Suzan Mischer

Crochet + fabric cut-work coverlet

I can retreat inside myself and just knit ~ SM

~ Ellen Friday ~

Wedding cross Anniversary platter

Creative space

Ellen Friday – Custom Ceramic Designer – This talent has seen the shelf in the family garage, the white tent with a fan, the trailer parked on barren land to be sold; to the current palatial studio above the 4 car garage. When you are married to a custom home builder – you never know where your next creative space will be. What is carried from space to space is the consistency of talent. It is the talent to translate a customer’s vision and personality into a custom work of art. Every piece is a reflection of the artist intuitive ability to interpret each new creation, with a unique personality and no two being alike.

Everyday I am blessed to have the most amazing people come to me and request a special gift for someone they love. I am creatively rejuvenated and inspired with each new design ~ Ellen Friday

I am forever in awe of the caliber of the women in my life. They are all so accomplished. Some are artists, like those featured above, others are entrepreneurs, educators, corporate executives, mothers and sisters. All have a spirit that has brought them to a special place in their lives today. Almost all of these woman run the full range of the baby boomer generation. We are the trail blazers, we are the generation that marched for civil rights, women’s rights, social equality. And now we need to speak up for a new paradigm in aging. Once again, it is up to us, the Platinum Boomers, to forge a new path to the next outpost of life. For years we have celebrated the arrival of the Age of Aquarius, an age of possibilities and enlightenment. Let’s all find our inner muse and allow her the space to expand within ourselves and our amazing friends.

“All that is required to become an optimist is to have the goal and to practice it. The more you rehearse optimistic thoughts, the more ‘natural’ and ‘ingrained’ they will become. With time they will be part of you, and you will have made yourself into an altogether different person.”

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D, author The How of Happiness: a scientific approach to getting the life you want…

I looked at a number of different lists and selected this one because I liked the format! When I looked further, I found Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor at the University of California Riverside, who wrote the book that featured the twelve things. http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/

I hope you have found this list as inspiring as I have. If what Dr. Lyubomrisky says in her quote above is correct, we can learn, with practice, to be happy. What a wonderful thing, pass the gift of happiness along.

Nothing you can know that isn’t known. Nothing you can see that isn’t shown. Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. It’s easy…..All you need is love

John Lennon The Beatles 1967

All you need is love.My husband is always saying this, and if you know him, you would say this is [for him] a perfectly normal response to most things in life!I’m personally thinking about love for a few reasons…

The first, being the 50 year anniversary of the Beatles coming to America and how desperately America needed the shot of enthusiasm, laughter, silliness and amazing talent that the Beatles brought with them.God Bless Ed Sullivan.He is one of the unsung heroes of American culture.Perhaps he knew the Beatles were just what America needed to bring usout of our mourning period of President Kennedy’s death.On Sunday evening, February 9th, 1964 at 8:00 pm the Beatles entered the American living room and changed the face and sound of music for ever.Coincidently, that February 9th was also my birthday and I chose to have my cake and eat it too with Ed and the Beatles in front of our black and white TV.The Beatles were just what we needed, and change the American and world culture they did.The impression the Beatles left on all of us and future baby boomers is almost immeasurable.Before their break up, in 1970, the Beatles penned over 200 songs. I am sure there is a count out there of how many times the word love was used.I am always in awe of the lyrical poetry of song writing- it can be so profound.In an earlier email I talked about Bob Dylan and the lyrics of Forever Young.To me there are a couple of songs that should be the anthem of our generation.Forever Young is one of them; along with All you need is Love.

Just imagine [Imagine – another Beatles anthem nominee] how we feel when we are in love.The endorphins are surging through us with such speed that we forget to eat.We forget where we are going. We are on a drug induced high and the drug is love.It does not matter your age.Love doesn’t know how to count.Love doesn’t care how you look on the outside – love is blind.Love is only concerned about one thing…your heart.When you are in love your heart is bursting with happiness.That happiness flows out of you…no matter your age.

Now this brings me to my other reason for thinking about love.One of my best friends was recently fixed up on a blind date, and it was one of those blind dates that just came out of nowhere…a friend of a friend she met once thought of her and asked a friend for her number to pass along – you know the rest of the story.

My friend is 73, divorced twice, living in an “over 55” community with a busy life of tennis, cards and volunteer work.Her priority, when moving into the community a year ago, was to find girlfriends!Finding a man was not even on the agenda.She figured at 73 her love life was over.Besides, she had been on her own most of her adult life so beginning a new life in a new city as a single woman was nothing new. Anyway, the blind date called and they met for lunch and it went really well.He called again and they had dinner.He kept calling, and they kept going out.The process was so easy and comfortable for them both that they were totally unprepared to fall in love so quickly.

He is one of the community’s “most eligible” widowers.Good looking, tallish, slim, active, no endless medical banter; he knows how to dress and he has his hair!He was successfully retired for the last 10 years with a very full social life, until his wife, of 35 years, became ill and passed away.He had just recently come onto the “market” and had been fixed up on a succession of dates, none of which were working out for him.

On one first date he was asked if they were going steady now as he said goodnight to her at the front door!He finally told his friends “no more fixing me up.”But alas good friends [and the universe] don’t give up and there was one more fix-up in his future.So when his friends mentioned my friend he said “what the hell, okay – just this last one – I’ll call her.”

To me dating has always been like holding an open house, especially if the house is furnished.You come in, walk through, chat up the agent.Throughout the house, all of the best things are on display.Even though it looks great, there are things that you want to change.Tear down a few walls, rip up the floor, and move the master to the sunny side of the house.It is the same thing dating someone.You like the house/date.You go back a few times.You go out a lot.You decide to buy it – get serious.And all along you are planning those few changes.Even though we know the best house buying/dating advice is to just live in it for a while, settle in, get to know the Chi of your new surroundings.Over time, make the changes, or not.In our hearts we know the soul of the house/date is good and we know we’ll be happy with this one.

There seems to be a steady flow of positive Chi for our love birds.My friend recently commented about how different love is this time around.The outside distractions of kids and careers are behind them and they are able to focus more intently on each other, and it changes the whole dynamic of the relationship.Everything is happening at warp speed.Of course there are a lot of unasked and unknown questions about their future.Thankfully, my friend has a way of settling in and letting life take its course.Don’t get me wrong.She can obsess with the best of us, but her wisdom tells her to let go at some point and relax in her new surroundings.

We laughed when she said, “will I still know how to kiss; what am I going to do about this body, this skin?Do I have enough candles in the house?”She goes on to say that one of the most interesting things is his adjustment to her independence.She spent her early twenties and thirties raising two boys, while maintaining a full time career in fashion publishing/editorial.She has always managed her own life, and her new man has always managed the lives of those around him, until now!The merging of their two worlds has actually brought out the best in both of them.He is relaxing into her independent ways, and she is letting down a few of the walls that independence and time can build around your heart.For both of them the word compromise has become a corner stone of their new vocabulary.

So there you have it – watch out – when you least expect it love might be hiding just around the corner.And because love is blind and doesn’t know how to count the years, you just might meet someone and feel sixteen again.And who knew that to feel sixteen, “All you need is love!”

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Alice in Wonderland/Lewis Carroll

I have been thinking about what I am going to write for my first post of the New Year. I thought of writing about gratitude, I am so very grateful for my life as it is. The first thing I say when I wake up in the morning and before I meditate is “thank you.” I never lose sight of how fortunate I am. I also thought I might write about setting my intentions. Dr. Wayne Dyer has been a guiding force in my life for over 25 years. He and others, like Maryanne Williamson have been the co-architects of the on-going renovation of Kate.

But when I ran across this quote, which was totally misfiled in a folder I was cleaning out for the New Year. It was an aha/yes moment and I knew I wanted to write not only about ‘the impossible things,’ but about the innocence of possibility. I think at a certain stage in our lives the impossible things get covered over by the weight of time and we lose sight of our youthful naiveté. We get old with ourselves.

I am not going to go into how to regain or believe for the first time in the impossible things that life can deliver to us. I am just going to say that all things are delivered with a purpose to help us grow, be happy, love and delight in being alive.

With that said I am going to follow the queens’ advice and look for the impossible things in 2014. So I guess I do have a New Year’s resolution, which is to recapture a little innocence, mix in a bit of magic, blend with multiple doses of gratitude and set my intention for a New Year beyond compare. And I think what I will receive in return will be the belief that most things are possible when you are ‘young at heart.’

Happy New Year darling friends and thank you for dropping by Platinum Boomer and helping me lay the foundation for this blog which is the first item on the list of “six impossible things before breakfast.”

“Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don’t do that by sitting around. ”

Katharine Hepburn

I have always had a job. I knew babysitting was not my thing and would never be a career option. And I had overheard enough adult conversations about the complaints of working that I knew instinctively that whatever I did I had to like what I was doing. So at twelve I convinced the top 2 beach boys that I would increase their business along Waikiki Beach from the Surf Rider Hotel to the Royal Hawaiian selling surfing lessons, outrigger canoe and catamaran rides to the tourist’s. I was paid per person and I was the number one producing beach girl [I should mention I was the only beach girl] on that stretch of sand for most of my teenage years! How perfect was that. Great job, really groovy benefits and we all made money. The spark had been ignited.

And today all these years later I still have a great job and make money. Of course I’m not working the beach anymore; I have an in-door job now! The point is I really like what I am doing, the spark is still there. Yes, the pressure is immense, the hours are long, but the work is gratifying and speaks to me on most of the levels I am passionate about. In fact I have just taken on more responsibility to build a segment of our business that has incredible potential and will utilize more of my talents to a greater extent. Considering I am the oldest person in the company this was a coup for the Platinum Boomer team. And I want to share with you what the owner of the company said to me, “there is no one in the company, besides you who has the experience and the gravitas to make this work.” I thought what a wonderful thing to hear at any time on your career path, but especially rewarding at a time when most employers would be wondering when you are going to retire.

I was just reading that an average woman will continue to work either full or part time for the next 15 years after the age of 60. Who knew when we were in our 30’s and 40’s and actively building our careers that we would still be the consulting architect for our careers into our 60’s?

It’s a long journey that takes a lot of stamina, determination and passion. And passion seems to be the hardest element in the magic formula to hold onto. A recent Gallup poll finds that Boomers were the least engaged segment of the work force. This disturbing poll means that those of us still working, or looking to return to work, or make avenues into a new career have to pump up the volume on all of our meaningful skills. We have to maintain our professional relationships, which means – network – network – network and leverage all our existing strengths. To win this marathon we need to be in top shape in all aspects of our wellbeing. As women we not only have to break through the glass ceiling challenge, but now, if we choose to stay in the work force, we have to differentiate ourselves, really tap into the well of knowledge and passion that we still possess. We have to know what we excel in, own it and just go for it. We should not make excuses about our age or lie about it. We have to remember that our ‘time share’ of life can be to the company’s advantage, and sell that. In other words….Go Big or Go Home!

The Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College found that staying engaged in our 50s and 60s is directly linked to overall wellbeing. As Christina Matz-Costa, research fellow at Boston College wrote on Next Avenue http://www.nextavenue.org/ people who remain highly engaged in work, continuing education and volunteering had significantly higher scores for life satisfaction and mental health than those who were relatively unengaged.

We are in a new age of work and our biggest challenge and our best asset is to become tech savvy and remain vibrant. If you have continued to work you are well aware of the pressure to keep up with technology, but keep up we must. And we have to change our mindset. We have to be positive about learning something new. Everyday it seems that I am confronted with a new formula, field or source that I have to learn for a project or a spread sheet. [Design/product development is not all ‘color trending.’ There are endless columns that need to be filled in before a product reaches the retail floor.] My mantra is simple. “I can learn this.” Remember, Google is your friend. Ask it any question and it will give you a plethora of answers to select from. Encourage yourself to work through it, figure it out, remember you are a smart woman! Ask someone for help, but be selective of who you ask in the office. And once you get it, you will know it for the next time. Of course it might be a good idea to write it down once you do know it!

I have a few thoughts that have helped me to grow and nurture my career from my first job as “Gidget” to my present incarnation.

Allow yourself to grow organically in your career.

When those new assignments and opportunities come your way, embrace them. Remember you’re smart, you can take it on. Look for what is missing. What would make your department, team or you function on a higher level and stand out. Suggest it! You might get a really big Wow from your boss or the CEO. Rewind your inner voice. Think more positively about the things that irritate you the most. Remember if you “change the way you look at something, the things you look at will change.”

Be your own brand manager

There are so many ways in which to promote ourselves today that if we don’t get the big picture, it becomes a bigger challenge. But if you are smart you can handle it with integrity, humor and a flattering headshot that will keep your name on the network marquee. Keep your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages up to date and think about the image you want to project. Are you a grandma or a grand Platinum Boomer? You can be both, just think about the presentation of your personal brand and your message. This is essential if you are looking for work or to change a job.

Take yourself back to School

You have to do it. You have to stay at the top of your game with technology and trends in your field. There are so many on-line classes available in so many fields…all you will want to do is go to class. Ed2Go is an amazing online website with a massive array of classes to select from http://www.ed2go.com/. And the beauty is you will be in the comfort of your home, and all on-line. Do not overlook this; your continuing education is non-negotiable. You CAN find the time.

Be your own guru

You are solely responsible for your wellbeing. We can be in charge of our health and our fitness or we can roll over and play dead. We will be dead soon enough. So why not be your best? Remember the marathon we talked about earlier, who knew we would still be running for the finish line. Lucky us that we are still running! This is what works for me.

Meditate. It will change your life as you know it. You can learn to quiet your mind. And you will be astonished at what insights you will gain.

Move your body. Try and do a few things to mix it up. I personally do yoga and qingdong three times a week and walking, which I do every day. Around 10am I put on my walking shoes and I leave my office for 20mintues. On the weekend I walk the dogs. You know what you like, you just have to get out and do it.

Nourish your body. A diet coke, a snack pack of cookies and frozen lean dinners are not the rocket fuel your body needs. Stop and look at what you are eating, remember you are smart. You know what is good for you. Challenge yourself to remove at least one really bad item from your diet today. Just image how much healthier you would be in one year if you found a healthy substitute for 3 unhealthy items in your diet. Wow, I bet you would even lose weight. We have to keep the Platinum in boomer at its shiny best.

We cannot let this third quarter of our life lie dormant. We cannot be satisfied with the status quo. If the passion has gotten buried under a little urban rubble, dig deep and dig it out. Passion is our life line to happiness. It energizes us, helps us think more clearly and focused on our choices. And most important it helps us to be fearless. Go for that promotion, go for that job interview, go for that volunteer job, or go back to school. Just keep going forward with your life. Be the master of the moment and make all the moments count.

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.” Howard Thurman

Re-juve-nate : to give new strength or energy to [something]

I am reading for the 3rd time Gift from the Sea, the intimate reflections of Anne Morrow Lindbergh written while on a vacation of solitude and contentment by the sea. Taking time away from her beloved husband, Charles Lindbergh and her 5 children was a restorative time for her as a writer, as a woman, mother and wife. Being close to the sea she was able to find a space for contemplation and creativity within her busy life and put into words the importance for one to find that “state of grace” within them. In the book she goes on to say “By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony.” In other words we are either in balance or out of balance. And like a trapeze artist walking a tight rope we have to find the inner core that keeps us and our lives in harmony. For Anne Morrow Lindbergh she found her rejuvenation while at the sea side. Where do you find yours?

While reading I began to think of what rejuvenates me, what makes my bliss bubble over? For me, the rejuvenation comes from a lovely spot in the Santa Ynez Valley. When I am rounding the top of the San Marcos pass a panoramic view of the valley comes into sight that takes my breath away and leaves me with a sense of peacefulness and bliss that I am hard pressed to find elsewhere. As I cruise along the 2 lane 154 highway the smallest hint of blue plays hide and seek with the trees and then like a wild brush stroke across a canvas Lake Cachuma comes into full view and beauty. Again my heart skips its beat as a breath of bliss leaves my lips. It is my state of grace and it manifest as an actual physical sensation that comes over me. My life is somehow lighter. My thoughts have a clearer direction. The weight of time is more buoyant. And soon I’ll be immersed in the vineyards surrounded by the best of friends, wine, stories and clocks that have forgotten to count time.

A close friend discovered her rejuvenation in New Hampshire on Squam Lake. The first email she sent from the renovated 1947 summer camp was describing the song of the Common Loons at dusk when the light forms a cocoon-like atmosphere around the shore. After sundown the North Woods lakes reverberate with the echoes of the water birds lonesome wails that lull most to sleep along the lake front. My friend was in this enchanted spot for a woman’s organic arts retreat. This commune of artistic free flight and the peacefulness of her surroundings rekindled her thoughts for a simplification of her life. The clock that once ticked off the time to have her children was now set to quietly but incessantly remind her to rebirth herself. The time had come to explore those forgotten dreams, revisit the long ago goals, harvest the bounty that time had delivered with age. Her thoughts while walking around the lake at dusk were continually surrounded by the hunting call of the Common Loons. She felt this touching wail of the loons was a call to her soul and she was listening. To abandon her dreams now would leave her like a lake without a flight of loons bringing on the dusk. It would be unimaginable. She knew she was ready to nurture her artistic muse and to conquer the wilderness of the unknown. As darkness descended her future was full of light.

What if one lives in the serenity of the desert, surrounded by the famous purple haze enveloping the mountains at sunset and the constant breeze blowing in at 72 degrees in the dead of winter. Where does one go to find their rejuvenation? Where else? New York City! Not in the dead of winter but in the warm glow of fall just as the air is turning crisp and the daylight around 4:00 has a special light not found at other times of the year. What better place to view the changing of the leaves than Central Park and the changing of the windows at Bergdorf Goodman than New York. For another good friend this is her shot of adrenaline. Out of the desert vistas and into the canyon of skyscrapers. She is revitalized by the blaze of yellow taxis gliding down Park Avenue, the hustle of the street vendors selling goods “right off the runway”, the heart stopping fear when you have not beat the light crossing the street and the chorus of international languages mixed in with the ever present New York accent. For her it is all soul candy. Knowing that in 5 days she can see 4 shows and 4 museums. In the morning she can lounge in bed with the N.Y. Times at the boutique hotel paid with points and at night to finally settle down for dinner at 10:30 in a crowded restaurant that revives memories of being young and just beginning your evening at that very European hour. But most of all she is revived and touched to the core by Lincoln Center at twilight. Aglow with the magnificent architecture of its buildings, fountains and walkways and where else can you see beautiful Chagalls hanging in the windows – only in New York. And what better, more honest place to rejuvenate and speed up your heart beat than the center of the universe…or so New Yorkers believe and it seems the energy backs up the claim!

What rejuvenates you? Please leave me a comment. I would love to know what the terrain of your interior landscape looks like and what inspires you.

Hi everyone, its me, Kate, if you are enjoying Platinum Boomer would you help me make this leap of faith into the next phase of my life by passing Platinum Boomer along to your friends. With your encouragement and support who knows what might happen! thanks so much.

“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.” Coco Chanel

There are a lot of things that become more challenging as we age, but shopping should not be one of them. Finding clothes that are in style, affordable and look good on you should not be an issue. But for me it seems to have become one and I know I am not alone. I work full time in a creative field so I do not have to be “dressed for the office” – whatever that really means, but I think you know what I’m saying!

All I know is I want to look fashionably pulled together when I head out of the house. I have a good eye for what looks best on me and I have learned how to adjust to what no longer works on my body. But just trying to find those items is not always easy. And I have to say, when I do find it, I buy in bulk.

Even if you are not working in an office any longer, we all go out to lunch, go to a museum, have dates with girlfriends and husbands and maybe even a blind date. And we want to look great, it does not matter if we are more traditional than trendy, we just want to look good. We want to be fashionable @ any age. And there is nothing more appealing to me than to see a really fashionably dressed Platinum Boomer. We might all have a different image of that look, but we know it when we see it. And that’s what I’m talking about here girlfriends.

I think it is shameful that most American retailers are the biggest offenders of turning a blind eye to Platinum Boomers who have not lost their sense of style with the gain of years that birthdays bring. Yup, I know there are parts of my body that just should not see the light of day anymore and I’ll step right up and admit it. But hey, the rest of me knows how to put myself together and make a pretty good statement on style. But I gotta dig, search in the most unlikely places to find those items that work.

accessorize

If you are headed into a larger store today you can glance over the departments and see where most retailers have pigeon-holed us. You have entered “The Age Appropriate Zone.” Well not me, I’m not going there! What I realized is you have to be a part time fashion detective. You have to look outside the “Zone”. Seek out those other departments or other stores and find the mannequin with the fabulous outfit that just makes your style mojo sing and before you can say to yourself “I can’t wear that anymore” pick out the one item that you can still wear. Just that one piece can make any old thing in your closet set you apart and trend up your look. I am not denying my age and saying I want to look 30, I’m saying think outside your birthdate.

I have a friend who searched for days to find a stylish dress; she found tons of dresses she would wear in a New York minute…20 years ago. All she wanted was a great dress with….sleeves. Just a little bit more than a cap please, perhaps something quarter length would work, but it was not happening. A couple of weeks later we were out window shopping after lunch in a small outdoor shopping plaza and we popped into one store that is an over the top “age appropriate zone.” All the glitz on the outfits leaves you, us anyway, rolling our eyes and heading for the exit. But a few doors down we found White House/Black Market. www.whitehouseblackmarket.com and I have to say I was surprised. Having passed up the store while shopping in the past thinking it was just not for me. I found a couple of the all-important items…those one or two little gems that make the LOOK happen. And my friend did not find a dress, but she did find a really great floral pencil skirt, a little cardigan and together with what she already has in her closet….voilà. She went to the wedding in style.

a little toe cleavage

An all-time favorite store is Zara, www.zara.com. I found Zara 12 years ago in Paris and really bought in bulk and I have to tell you I still have a couple of shirts from that trip that I wear today. Now that I have my sizing down pat I can go into any of their stores and be my most commando like self and just load up. For me the best items in Zara are their 100% cotton tee-shirts, why? Because they have quarter length sleeves, a great fit, come in every color of the season and also in the best stripes, very French, [even though they are a Spanish company]. My uniform for work is skinny jeans, a tee shirt and great accessories and I’m done.

Oops I almost forgot my other obsession shoes, and then I’m done.

I want to close this post with a few very personal thoughts. When it comes to the reflection in the mirror that moment is between you and that inner beauty that stares back at you. I named my reflection Kat; she is my muse and my most confident stand-in when I am not. She stays with me when I turn from the mirror and am only left with the feelings I have about myself. Kat convinces me that I am walking my tallest, holding my head the highest and not thinking about what ever my age is that day. I think it is our obligation to take the best care of ourselves in every aspect of our lives.

I just ran across the phrase “growing old gracefully”. I think aging gracefully is taking the utmost care of yourself, being your most beautiful self, inside and out. And most important – defying the odds that society has set to box us into an old way of thinking. It is up to us to set the new paradigm of what aging is and how to re-define it.

Age is a state of mind and my mind is full of wisdom and the reflections of my life. I will continue to keep my youthful thoughts and visions and I’ll mix it up with my Goddess knowledge and I hope that it will be a good blend for a successful life. And whenever I want a poignant reminder of aging gracefully I’ll read the lyrics of Forever Young by Bob Dylan. With those lyrics in mind, I will be forever young and it will show.

I have always known my life would improve with age and it has. I have also known that I would be forever surrounded by earthly angels, design mavericks, fashion icons, artist beyond compare and the written word and I am— Kate Granado

This is my maiden voyage. This is my step onto the tight rope with no net. This is my first post for Platinum Boomer and I would like to dedicate this post to my girlfriends. No offence husband, you are my dream guy who dances with me in the moonlight and cheers me on every day. But there is just something to be said about the women in my life, a few of whom are pictured above.

I have always referred to them as the Goddesses, some may chuckle at the concept, but not all those that drop by my life are invited into the Goddess circle. And like the title of this post says ‘I’ll take that one’ they have all been handpicked. Not by me, but by the hand of fate.

It never ceases to amaze me the caliber of the women in my life. They are vastly different from one another and each possesses a uniqueness that sets them apart from the norm. They are entrepreneurs, they have edited top woman’s magazines, built buildings, styled the stars, turned white canvas into exotic flowers, advised the advisers and birthed and raised babies to be doctors and explorers. And when we are gathered together I can clearly see how each friend has made a major contribution to the person I am today and I am so grateful for their presence in my life.

A few years ago a friend hosted a birthday luncheon in her home for me. There were perhaps 6 of us and I had decided to write something about each friend and their personal impact in my life. What an epiphany. The notes became letters, the chance encounters of our meetings became novel like in the story telling, the admiration became emulating; the greatness in them became part of me. What an internal journey it is to witness and acknowledge the seeds our friends have planted in our interior landscapes. It was a cathartic experience for me!

Periodically throughout the lunch I read aloud the letters to each friend. At times it was hard for me hold back the tears, especially when I saw their tears. But it was not all tears, we laughed out loud, remembering forgotten moments of men, bad hair and style days and wrong and right turns in our careers. It was not only a chronicle of our friendship, but a loving experience for me. And as one friend said “it’s your birthday and you have given us the gifts”.

If you have these same fabulous Goddesses in your life take the time to let them know how they have helped to shape the landscape of who you are today. Send them a note. For me it was a spiritual thank you card to the girls.